A Magical Nightmare - 27th Hunger Games (SYOT)
by Lily03
Summary: For the twenty-seventh time, the Hunger Games take place in Panem. After the first Quarter Quell and the failure of the previous Head Gamemaker, it is time to make history. What happens when you turn magical stories into nightmares? Twenty-four tributes will have to fight not only against each other, but also against what they believed in as kids. *Closed*
1. Prologue - 'To die'

**_A Magical Nightmare_**

* * *

**_Prologue_**

**_'To die would be an awfully big adventure."_**

* * *

Head Gamemaker Emerald stood observing his office's gigantic wall, carefully revising his work. Every single detail needed to be checked _twice._ Everything needed to be perfect.

He nervously chewed on his thumbnail, too focused to even notice a door opening at the back of the room. He only took notice of it when he heard a loud thud behind him. Swiftly, he turned around, a confused expression twisting his features.

On the ground lay a chubby woman, her long purple hair hiding her obviously embarrassed face. Emerald made no move to help her. She clumsily got up, nervously dusting off her marine blue gown. She straightened her posture a little, making Emerald sigh in relief.

"Rosalinda!" He exclaimed happily, as if her little accident had not happened. "It's such a pleasure to have you here."

Rosalinda smiled a little, too embarrassed to greet him back with the same vigor. "It's really nice to see you, too, sir." She said, trying to sound confident.

"Oh, Rosa, you know you can call me Emerald." He told her, scowling playfully. The woman nodded approvingly, but didn't trust herself to speak. She scurried over to him, her right hand extended for the Head Gamemaker to shake.

He looked down at it and smiled a toothy grin at her. "Oh come on, dear, we're way past that, aren't we?" He said, grabbing it quickly to pull her into a friendly hug. He felt Rosalinda tense, like always when he greeted her, but didn't say anything. When Emerald let her go, she instantly took a few steps back.

Her bright purple eyes widened when she realized how rude she was acting, but the man ignored it. "So, what brings you to me?" He asked, sitting down on a chair. He gestured for her to take a seat, but she didn't see it.

"The President sent me to give you this." She explained, taking something out of a red bag Emerald hadn't even noticed. He eyed her curiously until he understood what she was talking about.

President August Forbes had finally made his choice for the theme. That was all the Gamemaker needed to continue his work. To make it perfect. He silently wondered what it would be. Naturally, he had already started working on some arenas, and on some flesh eating mutts, too. Nothing _that_ extraordinary, really, but still something to make him gain time.

His face fell when he realized what it was. "A book?" Emerald whispered, incredulously. He shook his head in disbelief. What could he do with a book? Throw it at a tribute?

"Not just any book." Rosa said, somewhat dreamily. "Fairy tales."

The man's scowl deepened. He raised his left hand to his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Fairy tales." He repeated, testing the sound of the words.

After a few more seconds, he grabbed the heavy book, unable to keep in a sigh. He knew what fairy tales were, but he had never paid much attention to them, even as a child. He had never felt the need to read a magical story to hope, or to dream, or whatever. His life was perfect. But on the other hand, the tributes needed hope, needed dreams and all that.

The President wanted him to turn their dreams against them. To make them lose hope.

Interesting.

He sighed once more, looking up at the President's secretary. "I guess I have a lot of reading to do."

Rosa nodded in agreement, but she wasn't finished yet. "Mister Forbes ordered me to tell you something." She added, nodding.

He brought his thumb to his lips, his eyes not leaving hers. "Well, go on."

Rosalinda took a deep breath, remembering the exact words. "To die would be an awfully big adventure."

* * *

**_Author's note: _**Hello! Here's my Submit-Your-Own-Tribute story, and I hope you'll like it. The 'Tribute Form' is on my profile page, so don't hesitate to submit a – or more, if you feel like it – tribute. Please, PM message them to me. I won't be running a sponsorship system, but feedback might just save your tribute's life. Thank you, oh dear reader, and like I said, don't hesitate!

* * *

**Tribute list**

**_District One _**_(Luxury)_

**Male: **Kentin Mastive (17) _Tennielover19_

**Female: **Ravenna Marie Sanders (13) _Emmeline C. Thornbrooke_

**_District Two _**_(Masonry)_

**Male: **Lan Holloway (18) _Belphie_

**Female: **Sasha Blakemore (17) _Aileen's feather_

**_District three _**_(Technology)_

**Male: **Calvex Thadd (15)_ LokiThisIsMadness_

**Female:** Faze Chaplain (15) _bobothebear_

**_District Four _**_(Fishing)_

**Male: **Eion Horgan (18) _horganic27_

**Female: **Charlie-Anne Walsh (18) _horganic27_

**_District Five _**_(Power)_

**Male: **Locke Micran (17) _LokiThisIsMadness_

**Female**: Puzzle Sherayl (12) _Emi the Dark Kitten Prince_

**_District Six _**_(Transportation)_

**Male: **Phalanx Illiam(17) _Rubidium Hydroxide_

**Female: **Piston Copperton (14) _kgeesy_

**_District Seven _**_(Lumber)_

**Male: **Grover Barbarino(18) _Mega Walrus_

**Female: **Flora Crown (12) _Starry Lights in the Sky_

**_District Eight _**_(Textiles)_

**Male: **Zeke Polyester (16_) Starry Lights in the Sky_

**Female: **Dovie Prismall (15) _Belphie_

**_District Nine _**_(Grain)_

**Male: **Ares Barley (14) _kgeesy_

**Female: **Persephone Barley (16) _kgeesy_

**_District Ten _**_(Livestock)_

**Male: **Larys Estron (13) _Elim9_

**Female: **Danira Lazcroft (15) _BananasInLoungewear_

**_District Eleven _**_(Agriculture)_

**Male: **Aron Orfield (12) _BananasInLoungewear_

**Female: **Nardia Cornelius James (14) _BamItsTyler_

**_District Twelve _**_(Mining)_

**Male: **Mors Freeman (16) _Labyrinth-Designer_

**Female: **Laylene Maethen (12) _tardiskye_


	2. Prologue Part II - 'Once Upon A Time'

**_A Magical Nightmare_**

**Prologue – Part II**

**'Once Upon A time…'**

* * *

Emerald scratched his head absentmindedly, his dark brown eyes fixated on the old book lying on his desk. After spending way too many hours reading, the dark circles under his tired eyes were starting to have dark circles, too. He would have given anything for another theme. Spring, death, zombies, spiders – Heck, even butterflies.

Anything, but fairytales.

Unfortunately, there was no way to change that. The President had given him simple, but clear instructions. That was the only saying he had in the whole thing, and of course, he had to make things extremely difficult for his Head Gamemaker.

One month had passed since Rosalinda – The President's secretary – had handed him the book. At first, he had felt desperate. Reading had never been his thing. But that was child's play compared to what he had to do with the information the book contained.

On second thought, throwing the book at a tribute suddenly seemed like a good idea. After all, that thing weighted a good seven pounds. It might kill a weak tribute if thrown properly. But still, he had to create an arena. And a perfect one, of course.

He sighed heavily, resisting the growing urge to tear some pages out and burn them. Plus, who in the name of sanity still used paper books, really. Well, the District Citizens, sure. But the President?

Naturally, there were a few things that had caught his attention in all of these stories. Quotes, characters and especially monsters. Emerald reached out to grab a black notebook, where he had written those few things down. He had hoped that doing things the old way would help him and his inspiration. Sadly for him, no inspiration came.

At all.

He yawned as he read out loud some quotes, testing the sound of the words. If they sounded nice, they were useless; if not, they were still useless because there was nothing he could do with them.

"Down the rabbit hole…" Emerald whispered. It came from a story named 'Alice in Wonderland.'

"We're not in…" He started saying, but a yawn cut him off. "In Kansas anymore…" That one came from something called 'The Wizard of Oz'.

"One day, my prince will come?!" He shouted, angry at himself for even writing that sentence down.

He got to his feet swiftly, kicking his chair back. The piece of furniture hit the ground with a loud thud. His hands were shaking uncontrollably. Emerald had never felt so scared in his life.

He was going to fail.

Unless, of course, a miracle happened.

Surprisingly enough, a miracle happened. Well, actually, his brain kicked in. Same thing.

He took his notebook into his small hands, once more reading a quote. "One day, my prince will come."

He could actually work with that. The tributes, they were still kids. And kids were silly enough to fall in love. He could use that to his advantage to break them, to make them suffer, to make a huge scene out of it. The Capitolites would most certainly love it.

He carefully put back his chair where it belonged before sitting in it. Hope had eventually found its way back into the Gamemaker's eyes.

Emerald smirked evilly as millions of ideas submerged his tired mind.

It was going to be perfect.

So, _so perfect._

* * *

**_Author's note: _****Hello you guys! First, thank you to the ones who already submitted a tribute (or multiple ones).**

**There are still a lot of empty spots, readers! Don't hesitate! Throw a tribute (or more) my way, I'll gladly accept them!**


	3. District One - Reaping

**_Author's note: _****Hello! Here's District One! **

**Thank you to Tennielover19 and ) Emmeline C. Thornbrooke for Kentin and Ravenna, respectively.**

* * *

**_A Magical Nightmare_**

**Reaping – District One **

'Ever just the same, ever a surprise, ever as before, ever just as sure, as the sun will rise.'

* * *

**_Emerald – Head Gamemaker _**

Emerald tried his hardest to keep his frantic breathing under control. His shaking hands were nervously tracing the side of the mirror, where his eyes were supposed to be. He felt ashamed for feeling so nervous, so scared.

It wasn't like there was anything left to fear.

He was done. His _perfect, beautiful _and _extremely hard _work was finished, so technically, he should be able to relax. To enjoy the fun. Unfortunately for him, it was just the start. He had to direct everything, from the beginning to the very end. From the Reapings to the Victor's interview. Don't get him wrong, though. He loved his job. But sometimes, he just wished he could breathe for a minute without –

"Emerald? Emerald!" Shouted a high-pitched voice. "It's starting! It's starting!"

– Interruption.

He nodded, raising both of his hands to his curly brown hair, passing his fingers through it. He nearly jumped when Geraldine, the owner of the high-pitched voice, started banging on the bathroom door. Emerald quickly pressed a few buttons, turning off the lights and the music he hadn't even noticed before scurrying over to the door.

"Emerald, you're going to miss –" The woman started to shout, but stopped instantly when the door opened.

He smiled a toothy grin at her, which made her scowl deepen. "You're going to miss the whole show!" Geraldine shrieked, quite angry.

He scratched his head sheepishly. "Let's not waste any more time, then, dear." Emerald exclaimed, politely gesturing for her to go back to the living room. At first, he thought he was going to have to drag her there since she seemed frozen. Her eyes were fixated on his own, and he would not exactly qualify that look as friendly. Thankfully, she quickly snapped out of it and grabbed his hand gently.

"Let's go discover your, huh, _the_ tributes." She said, smirking slightly.

* * *

Surprisingly, he hadn't missed that much of the Reaping. The Mayor – Emerald had not been able to catch his name – was still talking about the Rebellion and how silly it was to defy the Capitol. It was true, of course, but that didn't change the fact that after twenty-seven years, it got boring. Really, _really_ boring. All he wanted to see was the actual Reaping.

_"Let's get on with it, shall we?" _The Mayor exclaimed, the crowd already cheering. Somehow, after the fifteen first Games, kids started training for the occasion. To the delight of the Capitolites, the Games grew to be more exiting and bloodier. Sadly, only a very few Districts were considered as Career Districts.

It would all be so much more enjoyable if all the tributes were skilled, bloodthirsty kids.

The Man stepped aside, leaving the microphone to Tinkle, the escort. She smiled a bright, toothy smile at the crowd, but thankfully did not take too much time drawing two little slips of paper out of two huge glass bowls.

_"Naturally, ladies first." _The woman announced her voice cheery and excited.

She carefully unfolded the piece of paper, her eyebrows knitted together as if it was a hard thing for her to do. She looked up, opening her mouth to say something, but dramatically stopped.

Emerald wanted to throw something, _or someone, _at the TV. The Head Gamemaker was on edge. He wanted to know who the first female tribute would be. He wanted to know how she looked like. He wanted to be able to tell the stylist which theme for the Parade costumes he would give to District One.

_"Luna Channel!" _Tinkle shouted at the top of her lungs.

Emerald clapped his hands together when the screen showed a pretty young girl walk out the eighteen-year-old section. She didn't seem particularly pleased, but it did not seem like she was bothered, either. That girl was mysterious. He could work with –

_"I volunteer!"_

– that.

A strawberry blond girl in khaki cargo pants and black combat boots came running out of the thirteen-year-old section. She scurried over to the stage, a _very _determined look on her face. Emerald's eyes widened when he noticed the dagger sheathed at her waist.

"That's the kind of bloodthirsty tribute I need." He thought, smirking.

Tinkle, her smile even brighter than before, immediately started questioning the young girl. _"And what's your name, dear?"_ The woman asked, unable to hide her surprise.

_"My name is Ravenna Marie Sanders." _She said, smirking like a maniac.

The escort nodded a few times eagerly. _"Well, that's interesting, isn't it?" _Tinkle asked the crowd. Some people clapped their hands, but most of them looked pretty chocked and confused. Apparently, District One had not had young volunteers before.

It was going to be great.

_"Onto the boys, now." _The Capitolite said, still smiling. Emerald wondered if her face would crack. Even him, as a celebrity in the Capitol, did not smile half as much as her. A complexion, maybe.

Anyway, she unfolded the second piece of paper, a little quicker this time. _"Jefferson Stoll!" _She shouted, and the camera immediately found its way to the fourteen-year-old section. The surprise on the boy's face clearly showed that he wasn't a career. The fear in his eyes even made Geraldine react. "He's not a career." She stated, disappointed.

The screen then showed a crying young girl. The sister, probably. Or a friend.

Emerald was about to reply to her when a tall boy screamed. _"I volunteer!" _

The boy came out walking calmly out of the seventeen-year-old section, earning a few glances. Suddenly, the camera showed a woman sitting next to the Mayor. She was one of the Victors. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung open.

The image changed to the boy again, standing next to Tinkle. Before she could even open her mouth to say anything, he spoke in a loud voice. _"I'm Kentin Mastive." _

Tinkle nodded, and urged him to stand next to Ravenna. _"Perfect. Now we have both our tributes for the 27__th__ Hunger Games. Hurray!" _

The crowd cheered, the confusion long gone. Kentin turned around to face the little girl, who had done the same. At the same time, they extended their hands. They already seemed like some sort of team, but Emerald could not help wonder if the girl wouldn't be a burden to Kentin. He looked so tall, so strong and so massive compared to her. Ravenna's odds wouldn't be as high as his, unless –

"I have a phone call to make, dear." He told his friend, jumping of the comfortable sofa.

He had stylists to talk to.

* * *

**_Ravenna Marie Sanders – District One female tribute_**

Ravenna was comfortably sitting on the velvet couch, lazily playing with her silver hoop earrings. She almost smiled when a loud noise made itself hear on the other side of the door.

Surprisingly, the door did not break when her mother barged into the room. She spoke before her daughter could even open her mouth. "Have you _any_ idea of what you've just signed up for?" Alicia spoke, disturbingly calm.

Ravenna didn't hesitate for a second. "Of course, mom, I've been training since the age of five for this and –"

Her mother snorted. "You're thirteen, Rae! _Thirteen_!" Her mother shouted, making the young girl wince slightly. "Do you know how many thirteen-year-olds came back from the Arena?"

Ravenna couldn't help but smirk. "None."

Alicia stared down at her only daughter, not exactly sure what to think anymore. After a short moment, she came sitting next to her. "Sweetheart, why did you volunteer?" She asked, the anger long gone from her voice.

"Because that's what I've trained for." Rae replied, nodding.

Alicia sighed a little. "But why _now?_"

"I'm ready, mom."

The woman smiled at her daughter. But did not get to say anything else. The door opened slightly, leaving just enough space for the peacekeeper's head. "Alicia, the three minutes are up."

She nodded, keeping her attention on Rae. "We love you, Ravenna."

"I love you, too." She said, smiling. It suddenly faded when she didn't see her father standing in the doorway. "Where's dad?" She quickly asked, hoping to get an answer.

The door closed.

Ravenna sighed. It was nothing; it didn't matter. She was going to come back and ask him herself.

But not as Ravenna Marie Sanders.

But as the youngest Victor in the history of the Hunger Games.

What a fun game to play.

* * *

**_Kentin Mastive – District One Male tribute_**

Kentin wasn't waiting for his mother, nor was he waiting for his step-father.

He was going to see her on the train, anyway. His step-father didn't care enough to come and say good-bye. As a matter-of-fact, the man was probably celebrating with his alcoholic friends. His departure was like a dream come true to him.

Little did he know it was Kentin's dream, too.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt small arms wrap themselves around his neck. That surprised him. He hadn't seen her coming. "When –"

Alice, his best friend, punched him on the shoulder. "You blithering idiot!" She shouted, repeating her weak attack. Kentin let her; he even smiled a little.

"You-you…" She stuttered, not able to think straight. He smiled a toothy grin at her. "Saved your brother?" He suggested, smirking.

"Kentin!" She nearly yelled, making him wince. "This is not a joke!"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course it isn't, Ally, but you and I both know why I did it, right?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

Alice's eyes widened. "I-I wasn't taking it seriously, I –"

"A promise is a promise." He stated, matter-of-factly.

She shook her head violently. "You shouldn't have…" She whispered, extremely sad. Kentin sighed. "Your brother's ill, he would have died in the freaking train, Alice." She didn't bother answering. She hugged him tightly, silently thanking him for what he did.

When the three minutes were up, and when his best friend was standing in the doorway, Kentin asked her one more favor.

"Tell that idiotic step-father of mine that once a Victor, I'll make his pathetic life a living hell."

The girl nodded, and the door closed.

It wasn't over, though.

He had still his mother to see.

Oh boy.


	4. District Two - Reaping

**_Author's note: _****Hello! Here's District Two! **

**Thank you to Belphie and Aileen's feather for and Lan and Sasha, respectively.**

**_A Magical Nightmare_**

**Reaping – District Two**

_"What big eyes you have, the kind of eyes that drive wolves mad." _

* * *

**Geraldine – Capitolite**

The purple-haired-woman looked around worriedly, hoping to catch a glimpse of her dear friend. Unfortunately, he wasn't there. He had said something about making an important phone call, but did he need _that_ much time. Twenty four minutes had passed since his departure, and the second reaping was about to start.

Emerald could most certainly not miss one bit of it, but apparently, he was going to. Geraldine had an idea when she noticed an avox entering the living room. "You, there." She spoke, immediately catching the servant's attention.

"Go and find me the master of this house." Geraldine ordered, turning her attention back to the screen. With that, the young man scurried out of the room, obviously looking for his master.

Geraldine smiled when the Capitol's anthem started, showing multiple images of District Two and its Victor's. She looked around once more, praying for the Head Gamemaker to be there, standing silently behind the couch.

Naturally, he wasn't.

Emerald could not exactly be qualified as _silent._

The anthem stopped, and the woman reached out to grab her drink. The screen then showed District Two, its huge training center and of course, its Hall of Justice. They showed some hard-working kids training, most of them smiling; more like smirking, actually.

Finally, the camera showed the Mayor, starting his oh-so-long speech. She _would _have concentrated on what the man was saying, _but _she could not keep her eyes from his body. He was muscular, tall and devilishly handsome. Not exactly like District One, if you asked her. This Mayor looked… _Dangerous. _

Just like the tributes.

Sadly, the camera moved to the Escort – a scrawny man wearing a pale green suit. He scurried over to the microphone, almost tripping along the way. That was when it dawned on her. That man – Hector – had just been promoted to District Two. That was the reason why she hadn't recognized him at first. He had been District Four's Escort at some point.

"_Happy Hunger Games, ladies and gentlemen." _He shouted in a low, but cheery voice.

The crowd of children cheered, clapping their hands and stamping their feet rhythmically on the ground. Geraldine started automatically clapping her hands, too.

Hector raised both of his hands in the air, gesturing for them to stop. After a short instant, they did, and the Reaping continued. "_Let's get on with this, shall we?_" He asked, smiling brightly at them. Some of the kids smiled right back at him, but some of them seemed scared out of their wits.

Geraldine frowned at that.

She never understood why most of the tributes seemed frightened, terrified, even. Participating in the Hunger Games was an honor, not a malediction like some District Citizen nicely put it. If she had a child, son or daughter, and if the Capitol could compete too, she'd send her child to volunteer without second thoughts.

It would be such an immense honor.

Her_ nice _thoughts were interrupted by a Hector's loud and echoing voice. _"Sasha Blakemore!" _

The purple haired woman widened her eyes at the crowd's reaction. They were whispering, all their eyes were placing themselves on one single girl. Geraldine gasped when the camera eventually showed the girl's face.

She was smirking, but not moving.

Most of the other girls in the seventeen-year-old section had backed away slightly, while some of them even changed sections. They were avoiding her like the pest.

"_Sasha Blakemore?" _Hector asked, not entirely sure what was happening.

Suddenly, eight peacekeepers came into view, all of them heading towards the young girl.

The Sasha girl took one step forward, making two of the peacekeepers back away instantly. The girl smirked once more. She raised both her hands into the air, probably to show them that she wasn't going to attack them. She started walking calmly to the stage, heavily armed peacekeepers right behind her.

Hector welcomed her by shaking hands. "_So, you are Sasha Blakemore, huh?" _

The girl scoffed. "_That's my name_." She stated, her smirk still plastered on her lips. The man nodded, and kindly gestured for her to walk to the female tribute's spot.

Then out of the blue, came Emerald. "What did I miss?" He asked, nearly throwing himself on the couch. Geraldine shrieked.

"Emerald!" She scowled, clearly unhappy. "You scared me half to death."

He smiled. "Only half?"

The woman rolled her eyes, but eventually decided to tell him about his female tribute. "What you missed? Well, District Two has its female tribute. She's seventeen, I believe, and –"

Emerald gasped. "Sasha Blakemore?"

She blinked a few times. "How do you know?" She asked, following his gaze to the screen. The name wasn't written on it, it only showed the girl. Emerald turned to her, an aggravated expression plastered on his face. "You never heard from her?"

She shook her head. "No, never."

"She's the Mayor's daughter. She was scheduled to be executed in about a week." He explained, nodding. Geraldine gasped. "Condemned to death?! Why?"

He smirked. "She killed last year's Victor."

Geraldine widened her eyes, not entirely sure how to react to that. She was sure going to be one interesting tribute, wasn't she?

_"Onto the boys!" _Hector shouted, unfolding the tiny piece of paper. Thankfully, he didn't wait an eternity to tell Panem who it was. "_Portos Eva –"_

"_I volunteer!" _A loud voice shouted.

A tall guy came out walking calmly out of the eighteen-year-old section. Some girls in various ranks clapped when he walked past them. He walked up to the stage, a satisfied look plastered on his handsome face. He placed himself next to the escort, grabbing the microphone before Hector could even react. "_My name is Lan Holloway and I'm going to make you proud!" _He shouted, pumping his fist in the air.

The crowd cheered harder than before. Hector struggled to get the microphone back, but once done, he gestured for them to shake hands.

They both turned to each other, extending their hands at the same time. "_I'm going to kill you." _Lan whispered in a low voice. Sasha stared back at him and leaned in slightly, so that they were just a few inches apart. "_I'd love to see you try." _

With that, they let go of each other's hands and walked into the building.

Emerald would have given anything to hear what those two said.

* * *

**_Lan Holloway – District Two male tribute_**

Lan sat down on the couch, crossing his legs comfortably, waiting for Orville, the only person he trusted more than himself.

Surprisingly, it took him a bit longer than Lan had expected to get there. Naturally, a few fan-girls had come to say good-bye to him or to wish him luck – which, by the way, he did not need.

After about fifteen minutes of waiting, Orville eventually decided to show up. "Hey, dude."

Lan smirked. "Hey."

"Ya ready?" Orville asked raising one eyebrow in a mocking gesture. Lan rolled his eyes and shot him a look that said: '_Are you kidding me?'_

Orville smiled a little, shoving both of his hands into his back pockets. "Where'd you get that horrible pair of jeans?"

Lan looked down at the 'horrible pair of jeans' and smirked. He hadn't wanted to wear a fancy costume, or the latest fashion of District Two. He had woken up in those ripped jeans, and decided to volunteer in those jeans. "They're comfortable." He stated, matter-of-factly.

"Don't doubt it." Orville replied, throwing his hands in the air in a 'peace' gesture. "Where are your parents? Haven't seen them since you volunteered."

Lan laughed. "Mom's probably been called to go back on set, and dad's probably been called for business or something close to that."

Orville frowned a little. "Aren't you upset they won't come and say goodbye?"

Lan shrugged. "Not really, they left me a letter this morning."

The door opened. "Three minutes are up!" The peacekeeper said, gesturing for Lan's friend to walk out. Orville tapped Lan on the shoulder before exiting the room.

Out of his back pocket, Lan took out his parent's letter to read once more.

* * *

**_Sasha Blakemore – District two female Tribute_**

Sasha sighed when a random peacekeeper coughed her. There was nothing she could do anyway, coughed or not. If they had a brain, they would've realized that, but they were peacekeepers for a reason.

They were morons.

No smart person would want to become one. At least not willingly.

She sat down onto the ground, next to the couch, waiting for her father to say good-bye. It did not take him long to get there. The door burst open, making Sasha roll her eyes. Even as the Mayor, he had never had a large temper. "Sasha!" He exclaimed, his fists clenched at his sides. "They can't do this, they can't send you there." He argued, making sure the Peacekeepers could hear his words.

It was useless, they were morons.

"Dad, it's over. I'm going, period." Sasha stated, disturbingly calm.

He growled. "No, it's not. They don't have the right to do this." Mayor Blakemore started pacing in the room.

"Even if they finally realize that I'm _kind of _innocent, that won't change the fact that I've been chosen to compete in the Games." She explained, hoping he'd stop arguing over nothing.

"You don't get it, they did it because –" He started, but got cut off by his daughter.

"'Cause they know that I killed that son-of-a –" She stopped herself when she noticed his dirty look. "That I killed him because he tried to force himself on me, and to avoid the shame of a false accusation, send me in the Hunger Games?" She asked, still calm.

Her father growled once more. "Dad, I'm not stupid. This is the end for me. If I die, they'll be happy, if I win, they'll execute me when I come back."

The door opened and a female peacekeeper asked the Mayor to leave. He turned to her, shooting her a terrifying look, making the woman raise her weapon. He took a step forward, as a warning for her to lower the gun, but didn't go any further.

"Love you, dad!" Sasha smirked, pushing him out of the room gently. "See ya in hell."

With that, she closed the door before he could answer her.

She went back to her spot on the ground, humming the National Anthem.


End file.
